Rush's Winter Special
by Babylon Sky Hawk
Summary: Continuing for the second year, Rush and Jewel host this seasons special including personal interviews, fan questions, and an exclusive look at upcoming attractions.


**Rush's Winter Special**

_Sonic Characters © Sonic Team/Sega_

* * *

The scene opens to the southern border of the continent in the epicenter of world trade and home to many of the planets heroes: South Kingdom. Unlike its many appearances in the Sonic Rush Series, the South Kingdom was decorated for the holidays and not on the verge of destruction – biggest shocker yet. A fresh powder coated the rooftops and the grassy fields, homes and shops were adorned with multicolored strings of light, and no one touched the fruitcake. In the heart of the village stood a sixty foot tree that looked like it could pierce the clouds layered with twinkling light, threads of glistening garland, a vast assortment of ornaments hanging from every branch, and a glowing five-point star as the centerpiece on top. This would be the first and only time the South Kingdom would look so peaceful. But as various characters moved back and forth between the streets, our main focus turns to the one hedgehog standing under the shadow of the mountainous tree. Rush the Hedgehog – topped with his own Santa hat – was attempting to pilfer the presents until he noticed the four cameramen surrounding him.

"Uh…Hi." Rush said sheepishly. He stood up quickly, whistling nonchalantly which he often did when he knew he was in trouble. "Please don't tell my mom. She'll kill me if she find out…"

"Sir, we're live." One of the camera crew said.

"We are?" Rush blinked surprisingly; he took a moment to readjust his hat and flashed a confident smile to the cameras. "Hey, people of the world. Name's Rush the Hedgehog. You may know me from my own major series – The Sonic Rush Series – and today, I'm happy to announce that I'll be taking over for my old man by hosting this years Christmas special. There will be various interviews with the cast, answering questions from fans, and a sneak peek for the upcoming feature – Sonic Rush: Errors of Fate. And to assist me, please welcome Jewel the Christmas Elf!" He gestured his hands to the left, but only discovered an empty space. "Jewel, c'mon!"

"I'm not coming out!" Jewel snapped. "I look like an idiot!"

"That no different than normal." Rush muttered under his breathe. "Just get out here. You look fine."

Easy for him to say – he wore a simple hat. The hot-blooded daughter of Knuckles the Echidna tentatively took her first step into view, slowly sliding her way towards the twin-colored hedgehog. Unlike her co-host, Jewel was wearing full elf attire that included green, pointy shoes, candy-cane colored socks, bright-orange shorts, a forest-green shirt with a red ascot, and an elf hat with decorative pointed ears. The feminine warrior's scowl was the fiercest one Rush had seen yet, but he could prevent himself from laugh into his hands – the camera crew was smart enough to keep silent.

"S-see…" Rush snorted, trying to contain himself. "You…you don't look so...so. Aw, I can't do it."

And just like that, the preteen hedgehog bended forward to his knees, holding his bruising ribs as he laughed harder than he ever did in his entire life. Jewel wasn't very understanding and pulled back her fist to thrash her knuckles into the back of the hedgehog's head, smacking him face first into the pavement. It looks like he may dea – no wait, he's twitching.

"Idiot." Jewel muttered. "While our 'gracious' host wakes p and I try to find something decent to wear, please check out this deleted scene from chapter 20 of Sonic Rush: Next generation that didn't quite make it."

* * *

-_Deleted Scene-_

The scene alternates to another country beyond the vision of the Sonic Heroes or G.U.N. – an independent kingdom that was just as powerful as all others. Within one of the taller towers, workers of the village stood aside and bowed respectfully as two men in black clothing passed them silently without acknowledging their presence. Both men wore the same black cloak with white flames decorating the sleeves, neckline and hem, but there were some distinct differences between them. The man standing to the right wore red shoes with blues streaks, plain white, gloves, and wore a deathly-black ring on his right thumb. He had his hood positioned over his face, preventing anyone from seeing the man beneath. The creature to the left was much easily recognized and wore a gold ring on his right index finger. He looked eerily similar to Shadow the hedgehog except his skin was a poison-purple, his quills looked to be made from pure-white crystals, his eyes were demonic green with blood-red surrounding the pupils, and held no mouth. Mephiles the Dark – faithful servant of Nazo, founding member of the Dark Rulers, and manipulator of time and space. Why he remained here after disappearing for twenty years remains a mystery.

"Seeing as how you pulled me away from Reace, I suppose you have urgent news." The cloaked man said collectively.

"Another of the Chaos Sparks has become active recently." Mephiles explained instantly. "The Demonic Ritual Statue could feel its power resonating only recently."

"Which one?" The cloaked man said with interest.

"The _Ventus Spark._" Mephiles answered seriously. "We were right to assume that the clone would seal the _Spark_ within the most secure vessel. We have locked the beast within the prince of South Kingdom."

"Little Rush?" The cloaked man said with a hint of humor. "I remember that him – he was always a good kid. A little hyper and obnoxious at times, but still a good kid." He waved his hand to the demon of time in an uncaring manner. "In any case, we've already planned for this scenario when we assigned Terro to capture the _Ventus Spark_. It's only beneficial that his target would be located in a familiar surrounding. Send word of the _Ventus Spark's _appearance as soon as possible."

"It's been rather difficult to contact them." Mephiles said earnestly. "They are still moving to capture Kuanga's target."

"Still?" The cloaked man said surprisingly. "How hard can it be to snatch one mongoose girl?"

_-End Deleted Scene-_

* * *

The scene returns to the South Kingdom's market streets with Jewel – back to her regular clothing – with two of the cameramen in tow. As they walked by, some of the more impossible scenes took place around them from Shadow passing out candy canes to the children from Lyda kissing Toxin under the mistletoe – it was hard to tell if he reacted or not. This is the kinda stuff you only see on Christmas, so enjoy it while it lasts. A few miles down the street, the hot-blooded echidna spotted a pack of rabbits cluttering around a stand selling winter themed jewelry. Three of them were recognized to be Vanilla and Cream from the Sonic Heroes Series, Mia from the Sonic Rush Series, and an unknown hare that hasn't been revealed in either series yet. The newcomer looked strangely like Cream, but with lime-green in place of the orange spots.

"Oh, we're on again?" Jewel asked when one of the crew delivered the message. "Welcome back to Rush's Winter Special. As you may have noticed, my quick-footed slow-witted co-host isn't with me at the moment. During the break, we've decided to split up and start interviewing some of the cast members. Let's start with the three generations of females in the Rabbit family." She approached the group of hares, waving somewhat friendly. "Hey, girls."

"Hey, Jewel." Mia smiled slyly. "I saw you in the elf costume earlier – very fetching."

"Shut it, twerp." Jewel sneered. Her gaze shifted the fourth rabbit that snickered at the remark. "And you would be?"

"I am Tang the Rabbit, sister of Cream and aunt of Mia." Tang introduced.

"Oh, so Vanilla did remarry after all." Jewel nodded thoughtfully. "So, Tang, I'm sure our audience wants to know what role you play in the series."

"I am the technical specialist of the new Babylon Rogues." Tang answered proudly. "I used to be a member of Team Virtex because dad insisted I should, but I found that being a Babylon Rogue is way more fun and cool."

"I still don't like the idea of you becoming a thief." Vanilla said disapprovingly; Tang shrugged.

"Now seeing that you're here, Vanilla," Jewel continued with her interview. "Does that mean you and the rest of the Seven Seas Crew is going to be making an appearance in the near future?"

"Actually, Hawk sold the rights to the Gale Series to Sonic Phantom." Vanilla explained politely. "The author hopes to include the Seven Seas Crew in some portion of Sonic Heroes X, but he's still in the planning stages and it seems rather unlikely. The best chance we have of making an appearance is with Sonic Phantom."

"Then we better hope for the best." Jewel commented; she reached into pocket to retrieve a handful of letters. "By the way, we've got some questions for you girls from the audience. Two of them actually, both of them from the same person. Brawler wants to know how Mia feels about being a half-demon."

"Technically, I'm only a quarter-demon." Mia answered happily. "My grandmother was a full-demon and grandfather was a mortal, but my dad is a half-demon and my mom's a mortal, too. Genetically speaking, I'm not really affected by my demon heritage like my dad was when he was little."

"So you don't have any demon powers?" Jewel asked curiously.

"I have a minimal healing factor, but that's about it." Mia replied unknowingly.

"Well, at least I won't feel bad whenever I knock you out." Jewel smirked; Mia's eyes dilated fearfully. "Now the next question from Brawler is directed to Vanilla. Brawler wants to know about your feelings for Cream being a part of the Sonic Heroes and going on dangerous missions."

"At first, I was petrified, I admit." Vanilla responded. "But then I remember she takes after me and I was a little hellion when I was young and joined Gale's crew, believe it or not. I still worry, but at least I know she's always safe with friends and she's been doing real well to defend herself."

"Yeah, don't you have like a hundred masters during the course of the Sonic Heroes Series?" Jewel questioned to Cream.

"Only two." Cream said in a dignified manner. "I learned from Master Tigress during the period between Sonic Heroes: Series and Sonic Heroes Desert Winds. And I receive Jedi training from Master Ahsoka during the Dark Siege before she dies."

"A little spoiler for all you folks at home." Jewel stated mischievously. "Well, thank you for your time, girls. I'll just be moving on to the next interview. In the meantime, let's hand things off to Rush at the Yuletide Feast."

* * *

The scenery transfers to the main dining hall of the royal family castle overlooking the village. Unlike most days where there were only four people around the unnaturally long table, over fifty characters from various franchises cluttered around, chatting with a friend or stuffing their faces with holiday festivities. Four normal sized trees were place in each corner of the room and the festive lights decorated the chamber, but the real attraction was the annual Yuletide Feast. Amy was determined outdo herself this year, which was an amazing accomplishment considering she somehow pouched a two-hundred pound turkey. To this day, she still acts shifty whenever someone asks where she got it from. While the sounds of clattering silverware and exchanged murmurs filled the atmosphere, Rush took a seat at the far end of the table next to the younger version of his father. Seated to Sonic's right side was Serena – the Ultimate Maser of Areno – and her prime student, Toxin the Basilisk. The twin-colored hedgehog was still locked into conversation with his father when the camera crew gave the signal that they were live.

"You're gonna have to tell me the rest of the sorry later." Rush nodded to his youthful father and turned to the screen. "Thank for the intro, Jewel. As you may have notice, I am here in the South Island…"

"South Kingdom." Serena corrected.

"Whatever." Rush rolled his eyes. "All I know is this is my family's ancient castle where the Yuletide Feast is being held for the holidays. There are currently one hundred and twenty-four characters from eighteen different franchises celebrating with us today, most of who will be appearing later on the Sonic Heroes Series." He turned to Sonic with a microphone handy for the hero. "Dad, what can you tell us about the different characters entering the Sonic Heroes universe?"

"Most of these people like Crash and Spyro have already made their appearances in Sonic Heroes." Sonic stated, snatching the microphone from his son in the blink of an eye. "They'll be gone for a while, but they're set to make an appearance in Sonic Heroes: Dark Siege along with the Jinchuuriki, Wolverine, TMNT, and other similar characters."

"Anyone from else from Sonic Heroes: Series making a return in Desert Winds?" Rush questioned.

"Obviously, all of the Sonic Heroes and Team Virtex will be reprising their roles in the series." Sonic nodded, leaning back into his chair. "Kadaj and Violet have already made it and the Bat Trio – Rogue, Siren, and Phantom – along with Tails' sister, Aura, are set to make an appearance after the Seventh Tribe is over. Damien from DJ-SlashMusika21 and Stream will be making a comeback with their own plotline. Black Doom is also scheduled to be one of the main antagonists of a Desert Winds side story later on."

"Is it true that The Seventh Tribe will be separated into two stories?" Rush asked with a reporters determination.

"That fact is correct." Toxin replied coolly. "The Gathering will take place in Areno, but Crossroads will be featured in alternate dimensions of the Sonic Heroes universe before returning to Areno."

"Sounds like Hawk's gonna have a hell of a time with that one." Rush snickered; a bell went off in the background. "Oh, that means we have some questions for you guys."

"A bell?" Sonic said with his brow raised. "Seriously?"

"It's the best we could do on short notice." Rush said dryly, accepting a stack of letters from his crew. "I have two questions from Forcewalker for Toxin and Serena. Force wants to know how Serena manages to stay young and beautiful for so many centuries."

"I'm flattered that he thinks I'm beautiful, but I'm out of his league." Serena said, waving her braided hair over her shoulder; Sonic laughed openly and Toxin remained impassive. "As for my youth, I was only an infant when Argus destroyed the Precursor civilization and only seven of us were left when the six tribes began settling in our world. The Precursors are known as knowledge seekers and are always identified by their wide intelligence. By the time I was in my mid-20's, there were only four of us left when we learned the secret to eternal youth and I pass that knowledge on to my students when I deem them ready. Unfortunately, eternal youth isn't the same as immortality – we are still capable of dying. To this day, I am the last full-blooded Precursor on Areno."

"So if you teach that eternal youth thing to your students," Rush continued interestingly. "Does that mean Sonic learns the secret?"

"You've seen your father." Serena smiled wisely. "What do you think?"

"I'll take that as a no." Rush nodded in acceptance, returning to the letter. "Forcewalker wants to ask why Toxin wants to destroy the other tribes when he was a good kid in the past."

"I can honestly tell you that I have no intention of assimilating the other tribes." Toxin said peacefully. "If I had been given the choice, I would have left the Greyfangs ten years ago after the Second Tribal War had ended. But I have my reasons for being there; as you shall learn in the future."

"You plan to stop Gryz?" Rush grinned respectfully.

"My mission has nothing to do with Gryz or this war going on between the tribes." Toxin responded coolly. "I have my own reasons."

"Ok, one more letter." Rush said, shuffling through the envelopes. "Ngrey651 wants to ask me and dad about how we got our superhuman speed."

"Now that question I think most people can answer." Sonic stated, dropping his chair back on all fours. "If you remember back during Naga's invasion, he revealed that I got my speed because Shadow's DNA accepted my and gave me some of his powers including super speed and control over Chaos Energy. Rush's speed is actually a special case. I can't reveal the source because it's one of the major plotlines in the Sonic Rush Series, but I can tell you he didn't get it because he's my kid – the same with Alina."

"Well, it was nice chatting with ya." Rush said, turning back to the camera. "Let's check back in with Jewel and see how she's doing?"

* * *

The scene changes to one of the less…grander portions of the South Kingdom. The streets were still decorated with Christmas lights, but there parts of the village are the places were you are most likely to get mugged by a random thug. Jewel's tough appearance and hereditary strength were enough to keep the criminals away, but her camera crew was less fortunate. After only five minute in the rundown back alleys, all they were left with were their equipment and their boxers – Jewel was very thankful this holiday.

"Listen, I don't care if you got frostbite on your – oh, hold on!" Jewel glared, redirecting her attention back to the lens. "And this is Jewel reporting live from the South Kingdom slums – yes, they have slums even here. The reason on am in this rat infested street is because we are moving on to my favorite portion of the interview: the villains. And who doesn't love a good villain? I managed to track some of the baddest villains of all series to this local tavern. We're gonna sneak inside and see if we can get an exclusive."

"W-we are?" The shivering camera asked.

The hot-blooded echidna scoffed and rolled her eyes at the camera crew. The local bar in question looked to be the only successful structure in the entire sector – it had to be with all the business it gets. At first, Jewel was worried that her crew was gonna draw some unwanted attention, but quickly pushed it aside upon crossing the threshold. From every corner of the tavern, humans and animals of various species were all taking part in an old fashion barroom brawl – no one knew how it started or cared in the least. A particularly grizzly tiger smashed a panda through the tables, a vulture was dragging a middle-aged human across the bar counter, a few fighters were being thrown off the second floor, and scandalously-clad woman were being dragging into rooms above them. There was no better place to spend the holidays in Jewel's opinion. But as much as the feminine warrior wanted to join the fight, Jewel spotted her targets in a secluded corner of the bar, enjoying the show. Upon close inspection, the white-furred echidna discovered Nazo, Mephiles the Dark, Master, Zeenint, Master Gryz, and a new girl she had never seen before. From what she could see, the new girl was an icy-blue feline with a white-fluffed tail and a braided ponytail running down her spine.

"Hey, guys." Jewel waved as she took a seat.

"Hey, Jewel." Zeenint nodded, ducking his head as a barstool flew over. "Whatcha doing in this part of town?"

"Getting some interviews for a Christmas special." Jewel shrugged, focusing her eyes on the feline. "So who's the new girl?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." The cat woman said, holding out her hand to shake. "I am Krise the Cat, the main antagonist for Errors of Fate."

"So you in Errors of Fate?" Jewel asked excitedly; Krise nodded. "What can you tell our audience about the upcoming story and what role you play in it?"

"Well, as I said before, I play as the main antagonist of the story." Krise explained, pushing away a stray canary that bumped into her. "Basically, I'm Terro's former lover that he attempted to kill in order to gain the fabled Kuasagan, but ultimately failed. In the present day, I come back with my own Kuasagan with the intention of making the world suffer eternally for the pain I received."

"Isn't the Kuasagan found only in the echidna line?" Jewel asked curiously.

"There are a lot of mysteries surrounding the optical power." Krise stated carefully. "What Hawk intends to do is explore the origins of the Kuasagan and its unique properties as well as explore Terro's childhood for the audience to have a better understanding of the characters."

"And if I know Haw, it'll be a year before it comes out." Jewel said jokingly; lightning flashed outside the window. "Ok…moving on. I happen to have some questions for a few of you guys. Just wait a minute…" She ruffled around with her pocket, somehow managing to pull the letters without tearing them. "Ah, here we go. Sky Kitsune would like to ask Nazo if he's going to make a return in the near future or if he's going to stay dead."

"I'm like the Xehanort of the Sonic Series." Nazo said smugly, high-fiving Mephiles and Gryz. "I am the main driving force for everything that goes on around here. Now I will be dead in the Sonic Heroes Series until Dark Siege, but everything that goes on until then is influenced by me. Same goes for the Sonic Rush Series. I won't appear until the end of Sonic Rush: Twilight Wars, but I've already impacted the main characters and set the plot in motion."

"And what about the Kingdom Hearts Series?" Jewel interrogated.

"Unfortunately, I won't have as big of a role as I hoped." Nazo sighed disappointedly. "As I'm sure everyone knows, I'm playing the main villain for Kingdom Hearts II: Sonic Chronicles. But after that, I most likely won't be appearing much. But I am happy to say that there will be a surprise twist involving me, Amy's father, and the leader of the Seekers, ZoN."

"Let's stop you there before you blurt out too much." Jewel interrupted, ruffling for the next letter. "Here's one from a new reviewer named Avatar Geminos for Zeenint. He wants to know if any of the current Sovereigns will make an appearance and if there will be back stories involving the old Sovereigns."

"As I'm sure you know, I'll be making my comeback in Sonic Heroes: Heartless." Zeenint said, punching a random bison in the face. "My oldest brother, Abedous, was still alive when I was transformed into a hedgehog, so he'll be making his debut sometime around them. Cheese – the current North Sovereign – and the others will play essential roles as the Sonic Heroes travel the universe to defeat the Heartless. I can't say much about Kainek and Haleya making further appearances, but Hawk is looking into making a flashback with Blue and Chaos."

"Thanks for the time." Jewel nodded appreciatively as she looked at the watch that appeared out of nowhere on her wrist. "Ah geez! It's almost time to wrap this up! Rush, you got this?"

* * *

The final scene alternates to the heart of the South Kingdom as Rush and his remaining crewmen followed the crowds out into the central plaza under the shadow of the giant Christmas tree. Heroes and villains, friends and enemies – they were all surprisingly getting along as the sun began to fall over the horizon and the flickering lights of the enormous pine became the main source of light in the village. Looking around, Rush could see every getting into the holiday spirit from Egg-Girl singing Christmas carols to Kadaj failing to drag Fu under the mistletoe to Vector falling over drunk on eggnog. The crowds parts and waved merrily as Rush and his entourage made their way to the base of the tree. The twin-colored hedgehog took in a deep breathe of air, taking in the atmosphere.

"Well, we finally made it to the end." Rush said with a sigh. "But before we sign off, I think we can get in one last interview."

The preteen prince held up one finger as a gesture for his crew to wait before dashing off into the crowd in a blue of red and blue. Lose to a minute later, Rush skidded to a halt back at the base of the Christmas tree – accidentally splashing his crew in snow – dragging two recognizable redhead in their late teens. The first was a woman in a petite white dress known as Princess Elise the 3rd, ruler of Soleanna, and a man with spiky hair in a workout uniform widely remembered as Rai Robotnik, son of Dr. Eggman. The redhead princess looked visibly shaken both from the lack of proper clothing and the intensity of the speed she traveled, but seemed to settle down as Rai wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Don't worry, princess." Rai said soothingly. "I've gotcha."

"I know." Elise smiled shyly before facing their kidnapper. "What is the meaning of this, Rush."

"Sorry, guys, but we need one more interview." Rush said, trying to sound as innocent as possible. "And it just so happens that we have one final letter addressed to both of you."

"Cool down, Princess." Rai said jokingly. "It's just a little fan mail. What's it say, buddy?"

"This last one's from a long time reviewer named FF and STH." Rush stated, opening the final envelope of the night. "He wants to know how you two ended up meeting and why you got together."

"That kinda happened halfway through Dark Siege." Rai nodded interestingly. "By that time, everyone though I had died at the end of Sonic Heroes: Heartless after I forced a black hole to collapse over myself to save everyone. I don't remember all the details, but I end up crash-landing back on Earth just south of the Soleanna beach."

"When he does come back, we are in the middle of a war between the humans and the animals." Elise continued, looking visibly pale at the memory. "I was working hard to keep Soleanna a neutral party in the war and it really put a strain on my relationship with boyfriend at the time that we were forced to break up."

"We can't go into too much detail without giving it away," Rai interjected swiftly. "All that matters is that along the way, we got into a relationship and end up married in the future with two wonderful kids. Well, a wonderful girl and a stubborn brat, but you get the idea."

"Hey!" The group jumped as Jewel stumbled into the seen, panting heavily with her knees bended. "Sorry…I'm late."

"Actually, you're just on time." Rush smiled, throwing his arm over the echidna's shoulder. "Well, that just about wraps up Rush's Winter Special. And as our final present to all of you watching this, please enjoy this trailer of the upcoming story – Sonic Rush: Errors of Fate. From everyone in the South Kingdom, I'm Rush the Hedgehog…"

"And I'm Jewel the Echidna." Jewel continued. "Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years."

"Uh…guys." Rai smirked mischievously. "I don't think you're done just yet."

With their brows raised, the twin-colored hedgehog and the hot-blooded echidna looked back at the human couple. Elise was smiling with sincere happiness as she pointed above their heads, referring to Cherry the Chao that had been missing during the entire special. At first, the hero thought nothing of it. But that was until Cherry pulled a small strand of mistletoes from behind his back and held it above their heads. This Christmas turned out to be one of the most interesting ones yet.

* * *

_**The mistake of a haunted past**_

The teenaged Terro and his beloved feline companion stared out over the Cliffside, watching the twilight fall gently over the Mountain View. Krise sighed contently as she nuzzled against the crimson bat's cheek and secured herself further into his strong arms. This was something out of a dream.

"I love you so much, Terro." Krise said softly.

"And I you, my beloved." Terro responded; he sounded rather stoic than normal.

"This is how it's meant to be." Krise said compassionately. "You and I – together forever. I truly believe that is our fate."

The teenaged warrior said nothing in response and instead lowered his eyes to the ground as his true love nestled herself further into his hold. The icy feline seemed to sense is feelings of sadness and pulled his gaze to face her, slowly drawing him into a loving kiss. But beyond her own notice, Terro reached into his pocket and dragged the miniscule knife against his belt.

_**The scorn of the fallen**_

Krise the Cat allowed her tattered cloak to flap in the wind against her slender form, gazing around the carnage that had taken place around her. Towering structures were reduced to ash, the ground had been ruptured in the wake of the slaughter, and the lives of countless numbers had been taken in one sweep. The icy feline allowed her gaze to drop upon the corpse of a child that could only have been a few months old. Seven years ago, Krise would have been overcome with sorrow. But today, she only felt satisfaction – she was getting what she deserved. A moment passed before her trio of faithful servants emerged from the shadows of the destruction.

"Well?" Krise asked coldly.

"We have searched everywhere." The leading soldier hissed. "He is not here."

"Then keep looking." Krise commanded with authority. "I must find him – I will find him!"

_**Faith and trust will be tested**_

Rush the Hedgehog never lowered his guard, which was agreed upon between him, Jewel, Shade, and Zero. When you dealing with enemies like the Hakumei, the last thing you would want to do is let them out of your site for even a second. The group of four heroes waited and listened as Terro brought a close to his story with Kuanga gripping the handle of sword with the expression of mistrust. The twin-colored hedgehog didn't know how they would fare against the duo with a group of teenaged warriors that rarely worked together, but he felt better knowing Jewel is on his side.

"Krise is out of control." Terro said finally. "She is demonstrating a power she never used before, yet so familiar to me. We've tried to face her elite guards alone, but they've proven a formidable match against us. The only way we will be able to stand a chance against her is with the power of a Chaos Spark. And having two Chaos Sparks fighting along side will increase our chances for survival."

"So she's just doing this for revenge?" Shade questioned seriously.

"Doubtful or she would have killed us at the first chance." Kuanga shook his head. "She's got something else planned."

"And why should we help you?" Jewel scolded.

"She's got a point." Rush nodded uncertainly. "You tried to kill me in the past. Why should we trust you?"

"The real question, Rush the Hedgehog…" Terro said slowly. "Is if you can afford not to trust us."

_**Babylon Sky Hawk presents…**_

Shadow stood in the frontlines as Krise's soldiers marched in unison towards the South Kingdom gates, preparing himself for a worthy battle. Kuanga brought his sword down over the ocean-blue echidna, only to he caught off guard when the teenaged warrior deformed into a puddle of water. Mari slammed her palms over the surface of the water, instantly increasing the pressure to destroy the squadron of drones. Jewel grudgingly stood back-to-back with her older brother as Krise's swarms began to close further between them. Terro transformed the chains to a venomous snake and commanded to serpent to strike back at Krise, but evaporated into a cloud of smoke within inches of the icy feline. Rush panted heavily with his right arm bleeding and a dark-purple bruise forming on his kneecaps as he stared down at Krise – his Spark became active.

_**A Sonic Rush production…**_

Krise remained seated on her black-stone throne within her personal citadel as he minions exited the domicile upon her command. Now only icy feline and her former beloved remained in the chamber. Just as the day of his attempted assassination, Terro showed no remorse or even the slightest tinge of emotion – this only irked her further. Krise slowly folded her hands as she stared deep into the Kuasagan activated into her beloved's eyes and remained immune to its effects. She slowly closed her eyes and breathed deeply into the dreary atmosphere.

"You thought it was your fate to kill me." Krise said softly. "And I thought it was my fate to be with you forever. But the fact of the matter is…" Her eyes fluttered open, revealing her own version of the Kuasagan. "Fate just loves screwing with us."

_**Sonic Rush: Errors of Fate.**_

* * *

Merry Christmas to all and to all – ah, you know the rest.

Please, read and review.


End file.
